Community Corner

Aussie Grammy Nominees Choose Mill Valley For Their Solo Calif Show This Friday

Known for their comedic piano shows, Australian musical duo Trysette and Fiona Joy Hawkins will make a stop in Mill Valley for a show at the Throckmorton Theatre this Friday. Ticket winner announced.

A pair of performers, boasted as the best of two musical worlds, will unite at the Throckmorton Theatre Friday night, when Trysette, the Sensual Singer Songwriter and Fiona Joy Hawkins, the Evocative Mistress of Romantic Piano grace the stage.

After the ARIA (Aussie Grammy's) finalists new album, 600 Years in a Moment, debuted at #2 on ZMR music charts, the duo set out on a U.S. tour, making a one night stop in Mill Valley Sept. 19 at 8 p.m.

“This is not your parents’ piano music, it’s a fun show for date night or girl’s night out,” said Beth Ann Hilton of The B Company, “ These girls are like chianti and cognac”, they’ve got great Aussie humor, and are quite a lot of fun together.” 

Find out what's happening in Mill Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mill Valley Patch caught up with the musicians so they could tell you what to expect, who they are and what they love about Northern California. Here’s what they had to say.

Answers from Trysette

Patch: Who has your musical career most been inspired by?

Find out what's happening in Mill Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Trysette: I grew up listening to Carole King, James Taylor, Lionel Richie and more recently my musical influences have steered towards artists such as Adele, Norah Jones and Feist.

Patch: What attractions have you enjoyed in your Northern California trip?

Trysette: We played a show in Sutter Creek and enjoyed a few days exploring the village and some local wineries. 

Patch: In reading your bio, it looks like your concerts are a lot of fun. Can you sum up what to expect at one of your shows in a sentence or two?

Apart from our music which is a blend of Classical New Age Piano and Singer Songwriter Pop. Folk songs, Fiona and I have a camaraderie and Aussie humour that plays out on stage. We like to chat with the audience from the stage and let them in on our lives and the stories behind the music. We try to take our audience on a journey through laughter and tears, but mostly we want them to enjoy a fulfilling and memorable night out.

Answers From Fiona

Patch: In reading your bio, it looks like your concerts are a lot of fun. Can you sum up what to expect at one of your shows in a sentence or two?  

Fiona: Lots of variety I guess.  Everything from pop/folk to classical – New Age with a touch of Celtic.  We both play piano and sing and people keep telling us we could be comedians – I think it’s the Aussie humour.  Expect to laugh and cry… Trysette makes you dance in your seat, I promise to make you daydream.

Patch: How did you end up in Mill Valley on your tour?  

Fiona: We played down the West Coast last year and all the venues asked us back.  We just happened to end up in SF to fly to NY and my sister (who lives in Sausalito) said, “come visit this really cool place” – so we landed at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley.  So here we are and looking forward to sharing our music on Friday night.

Fiona: Who has your musical career most been inspired by? 

My Mother was 17 when I was born so my Grandma moved in quite early and bought a beautiful 100-year old piano with her!  I fell instantly in love with the piano and have been ever since. I used to lay next to the record player and listen to Ravel’s Bolero and pull apart the layers.  I was intrigued by the build

I loved Andrew Lloyd Webber – I listened to Evita about a million times! 

My Father played Jesus in Superstar so my musical tastes were mix of classical, contemporary and of course the natural style I write in which is New Age.  I never even knew what that was until someone said ‘you sound like a cross between George Winston and Enya” and then I got an email from Will Ackerman (Founder of Windham Hill, Producer of George Winston ) saying to come over and record on his Steinway at Imaginary Road Studios – and so it all started from there!

What attractions have you enjoyed in your Northern California trip? 

The weather – its amazing.  We just came from the Aussie winter! Your scenery here is so beautiful and driving through the countryside has been such a highlight.  We don’t have giant redwoods in Australia – so we are quite in awe.  Trysette managed to go Kayaking at one stage and I have been enjoying late evening walks.

The ladies asked Mill Valley Patch to give a set of tickets away, drawing names from a list of readers who could answer this question:

What was the name of the 2011 documentary film by Mill Valley native Nicholas Carmen, which chronicled an aging couple facing Alzheimer’s Disease, and their connection thru piano music?

The correct answer was Piano Fingers.

After putting all of the contributors into a Virtual Hat, the winner is theamyzon. Please email me to confirm, lindsey.hickman@patch.com


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here